


Trial by Torture

by Chasby



Series: Apocalypse [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Canon Compliant, Gen, Possible Character Death
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-31
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-05-07 22:00:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 4,456
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14680329
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Chasby/pseuds/Chasby
Summary: Twelve years have passed since the Battle of Hogwarts and Harry Potter is content with his family until he hears a familiar whisper and a chill runs down his spine. The thought of The Dark Lord still being alive is would be like a nightmare. He sets out to get to the truth.On the same day, an explosion in Gringotts causes the deaths of hundreds and the perpetrator seems to have been Harry Potter himself.When he gains his senses, Harry is in the company of a strange man with no memories of the past few days. He is horrified to know that he has been declared a criminal. The only way out is to prove his innocence and find out who is behind these events.But with no memories, can he himself be sure of his innocence?





	1. Prologue

# Prologue

## Forbidden Forest, Twelve Years Ago

Even as night fell, the horizon was lit by random flashes flying from hundreds of wands in the battle for Hogwarts. The once majestic castle was now in ruins and casualties were rising on both sides. Nonetheless, the Battle went on, for neither side had given up hope. But for the hooded figure bent against a tree; panting heavily, all was lost.

Clad in a battered black cloak, with tears streaming down his bruised, pale face and clutching a dripping wound on his left arm; Nathan Claymore looked nothing like the smart and cheerful Fourth-year his peers always looked up to.  
After the murder of his parents; who had been Aurors for the Ministry, by Death Eaters previous year, his life had been nothing short of a freakish nightmare. Orphaned, he had harbored hatred towards the murderers and when he found out they were among the ranks of the Dark Lord’s army; he recklessly charged in for redemption. But he had been no match for their power and had been killed if not for his friends who had fearlessly fought with werewolves just so that he could escape. Seeing his friends get butchered while he was powerless to do anything had deeply shaken his conscience.

Currently, his eyes widened with fear as he noticed some movement behind him. The sudden burst of adrenaline in his veins caused the pain in his arm to subside as he ran deeper into the woods.

§§§

Nathan had no idea how long he had been running for or where he was. The pain was worse than ever and exhaustion was setting in. His vision was getting blurry and he felt he would faint soon. His felt his legs catch on something and crashed heavily onto the forest floor. The sudden impact knocked the breath out of him and left a nasty gash on his forehead. Groaning, he found his wand and croaked:  
“Lumos”  
The clearing lit up faintly. Painfully, Nathan made it up to his feet when he noticed hoof prints all around him.  
“Centaurs” he thought. As he looked around at the trail, he found something glinting out of one of the prints.  
He picked it up to find and odd black stone. It had a jagged crack running down its middle around which were inscriptions. Some were indiscernible but there was what looked like a circle inside a triangle faintly etched on it.  
Maybe he was delusional due to exhaustion but the stone looked oddly familiar. Like something out of a book he had read as a child…………………. 


	2. Family

# Whisper

## Ottery St. Catchpole,Two Days Ago

Rubbing his eyes, Harry walked into the dining room to find James sitting beside Lily’s cradle. Even at age six, the young man had a very protective attitude towards his baby sister. He had been making funny faces to Lily’s amusement but turned and greeted his father with a toothy grin when he saw him enter.

Harry was about to go to the cradle when Albus dashed out of the kitchen clutching a spoon which seemed to be trying to break free of his grasp. He got fascinated by hovering items and was always looking to catch hold of one of them when his mother was cooking. Today, having succeeded, he was overjoyed.

His triumph, however was short lived as Ginny walked out of the kitchen and, with a casual flick of her wand; the spoon returned to her hand. She was wearing an apron on top of a simple purple gown and her usual scarlet mane was tied in a neat ponytail today. Even in the simplest of attires, she always managed to look breathtaking.

Before heading back to the kitchen she gave him a warm smile which made him eternally grateful to have married her.

The only one missing from his usual company at breakfast was young Teddy Lupin who had returned to Hogwarts for his second year last month. It was hard to believe that it had been twelve years since the Battle of Hogwarts. He still couldn’t believe he was not the child living in a cupboard under the stairs in his uncle’s house anymore. So many things had transpired and now he finally had his own family.

§§§

“We are back” Albus announced enthusiastically as his father opened the door to allow Albus to enter carrying a large cage. Inside it; sleeping contently with its head behind its wings, was a snow white owl. After Ginny helped the boys carry the cage To Albus’s room, she came back to the living room and sit beside Harry on the couch.

“Ron and Hermione are coming over for dinner.” She said, ruffling his hair.  
Smiling, Harry was about to reply when he heard it. A soft familiar whisper, hissing something in his ears.

“B..l..o…o…d”  
Harry felt a chill run down his spine.  
“It has been twelve years, this cannot be possible, it has to be some sort of delusion-” his thoughts were a mix of panic and disbelief.  
He rose up abruptly.  
“What’s the matter? You suddenly spaced out and became tensed?” Ginny said in a concerned voice.

“Just remembered something I have to do, I will be back by lunch.”   
Saying these words, he hurried out of the house. Without proper proof, he would just look mad telling people Voldemort is alive after all these years. But if there was even a chance...........  
Determined to find out the truth, Harry felt the familiar falling sensation as he disapparated.


	3. Crime

** Ch 2: Crime **

Diagon Alley, Two Days Ago

The Sun shone brightly on Diagon Alley. Being the busiest part of the day, the streets were teaming with folk jostling each other to get to their destinations. While it was nothing unusual for the wizards and witches gathered there, to Poppy; a little house elf, it was like navigating a labyrinth. Bernard Bigsley, her master; a tall, brown haired man with cold, dark eyes and an imposing scowl on his sharp featured face, was having no trouble getting through. But for poor Poppy, barely being able to reach the people's waists, it was a different matter altogether.

After what seemed like ages, she finally found here master frowning at her as she caught up to him on the doorstep of Gringotts Wizarding Bank. After shooting a withering glance at her, he tossed his heavy overcoat to her and walked inside. Poppy remembered being told by her master that elves were not allowed to enter the bank for goblins found them filthy and unreliable.

Her big ears drooped a little as she wondered why everyone despised her kind when they always did their best to serve their masters. She had heard some talk of a witch in the Ministry who wanted elves to be freed from servitude, but she knew her master didn't believe in such nonsense and would never let her go free.

She watched a little girl in a pink frock go inside the Bank, looked down at her filthy rag and sighed. Trying not to think about things which would never come true, she looked around her and her already golf-ball like eyes widened even further. Walking up to her; clad in a gray overcoat, with messy jet black hair and green eyes behind round black spectacles, was Harry Potter himself!

§§§

It had been a while since Harry Potter had walked past her into Gringotts but Poppy still couldn't believe her luck on having met him. She had heard stories of the treatment if elves in the reign of The Dark Lord and ecstasy had filled here on hearing of his demise by the hands of the man she had just had the honor to meet.

Her thoughts were interrupted as she heard footsteps approaching her and could hear her master in conversation with another wizard. A little shiver went down her spine as she thought of the punishment she would receive for being slow in aiding her master. But just as the steps were about to reach the door, something strange happened. A distant wailing erupted from somewhere below their feet. Definitely not human, it wasn't like anything she had ever heard before. But it sounded like some giant beast's plea for help, or a warning.

"That must be the Ironbelly down in the dungeons. Probably being whipped again." Her master spoke in his usual monotonous voice.

The footsteps resumed and a portly man appeared out of the door followed by Mr. Bigsley, who was now carrying a heavy briefcase. He immediately threw the briefcase to Poppy and grunted, implying she should wait for him ahead as he had a private word with the other gentleman.

Poppy lugged all the stuff away from them with visible discomfort while the two men shook each other's hands. Occupied with carrying the heavy things, she didn't notice that by now, the entire crowd had halted and was gazing over at Gringotts due to the dragon's wailing which had intensified even more in the last few moments. Murmurs went up around her as the people wondered what was going on inside the building.

Just as they were deciding upon who would go in to find out, the wailing ended just as suddenly as it had started. As if mimicking it, silence descended over the crowd too. Everyone was curious to know exactly what had happened yet none could provide an explanation.

Poppy was just about to request a burly man in front of her to allow her to pass when her ears detected an isolated beep from somewhere far away. She had no idea what it was but a sense of dread filled her as she stood rooted to her spot. Fearing for the worst, she turned and was just able to see him same as he had been before the building exploded into scarlet flames.

In a fraction of a second, she was launched a few feet away by the force of the blast. She landed on the ground, the impact knocking the breath out of her. Her mind was flushed with panic but her body was unable to move. Her eyes saw chunks of Gringotts flying high in the sky and felt the smell of burning flesh, metal and sulphur fill the air and made it hard to breathe.

Her vision was getting blurred, her senses were getting dull and the screams felt more and more distant as she felt herself slowly drifting unconscious…


	4. Taak

** hapter 3: Task **

Ministry Of Magic, One Day Ago

As the emerald flames died down, Ron and Hermione stepped out of the fireplace to find themselves at the Minister's private chambers. The couches, coffee tables, flower vases and tapestries which usually adorned the room had been replaced by bare beige walls, a rectangular wooden table and a dozen or so chairs arranged around it to accommodate everyone.

Apart from them, the gathering comprised of three goblins in formal attire muttering amongst themselves and, much to Ron's annoyance , Draco Malfoy.  
Standing directly opposite to them, gazing out of the window with their back to them was Kingsley Shacklebolt. Sensing their arrival, he turned.

"Glad you could join us at such short notice. Please sit down."  
He gestured to the empty chairs before taking a seat at the head of the table himself. As Ron and Hermione sat down, making sure to pick the seat farthest from Draco, the fireplace cackled with emerald flames once again and a lanky man dressed in a black suit stepped out of them. His beady eyes, protruding nose sharp face gave him the appearance of a vulture stalking its prey. He bowed to the Minister in greeting and took a seat right by the now quiet goblins.

"Leonard Harper from the Magical Liaisons' office. He is also a former Auror.Our goblin companions have been kind enough to choose him as their representative." Kingsley introduced the man to everyone who nodded curtly in response.

Finding everyone's attention to be on him once again, Kingsley cleared his throat and spoke in a low, solemn manner;  
"As all of you know, an explosion took place at Gringotts Wizarding Bank at around noon yesterday. It was discovered that the event was caused by a Muggle explosive device. The blast itself and resultant debris has claimed more than a hundred lives, goblin and wizard-kind alike. We are yet to find the culprit. Even though the building can be restored, the goblins refuse to send any more of their kind to reopen Gringotts until we resolve the issue. Thus, we are all here today to discuss our best course of action."

He looked as if he was about to go on but was interrupted by Harper;

"Apologies Minister, but my goblin companions are getting a little impatient. If it is all right, May I begin?" he raised an eyebrow towards Kingsley who nodded calmly. The latter began in a cold, emotionless voice;

"Thank you. First, the goblins respectfully disagree with the Minister's views. We do have a highly probable culprit along with evidence to support our suspicions. According to Poppy; a house elf who witnessed the event yesterday, there was only one wizard inside the bank at the time of the explosion which took place above the vaults. He could've died due to debris but the absence of remains suggests otherwise. His connections to the Muggles could easily grant him access to a device capable of the destruction at Gringotts. That wizard was Harry James Potter."

There was an uncomfortable moment of silence in the room. While Hermione still had a look of pure disbelief on her face Ron felt a wave of anger engulf him. Enraged; he glared at Harper and spoke, barely able to conceal his anger;

"So, your theory is that Harry; the man who fought Voldemort and all his lackeys even after losing most of his loved ones, even died once to save your ungrateful rear suddenly decided to go blow-up the place where he keeps all his money just because it looked fun? "

Harper calmly locked his beady eyes with Ron's;  
"Would you not attempt to avenge the death of your loved ones? Mr. Potter's battle against the Dark Lord did benefit our society greatly but personal vendettas have nothing to do with the matter at hand. Apart from that fact, he is known for rejection of authorities, pride, an obsession with entering into every restricted area ever introduced to him and recklessness beyond regard of other lives. The only other Hogwarts student with a similar record was Tom Marvolo Riddle. They even share the same wand core. I'm sure he wouldn't have any trouble finding _friends_ ready to do his bidding." 

Ron felt like punching Harper's teeth out. Clenching his fist to keep himself from reaching for his wand, he growled;

"Are you trying to say that either I or Hermione had a role in the explosion? "

Harper was completely unfazed as he retorted;

"You are smarter than most people give you credit for Mr. Weasley. Yes, I was indeed referring to the possibility.  
If I remember correctly, your father had a job in the Ministry but he was defamed for a while in your fifth academic year, I have been told you had a grudge against his employers at the time. The only brother you had a strained relationship with was Percy, who worked under the late Rufus Scrimgeour.  
Your spouse has Muggle parents; she could have provided the bomb. The only other time Gringotts was broken into was by Harry Potter, yourself and Mrs. Granger Weasley. During that time, you also developed a sour relationship with Griphook; a goblin who was later found dead. If not for your services to the Ministry as an Auror and the Minister's requests; that alone would have been enough to give me authority to interrogate you about Potter's whereabouts using whatever means possible."

Ron was incensed. His knuckles were white and his face felt red hot. Seeing the situation, the Minister raised both his hands.  
"That is enough. I wish to actually accomplish something through this meeting. We already have enough on our plates."  
Seeing both men silent, he continued;

"We have used most of our time. For now, there are some announcements. Even though I don't completely agree with him, Mr. Harper made some good points and Harry Potter is missing. Therefore, we have to find him.. It has been requested by the goblins that Mr. Harper be a part of the team. In the absence of Harry, Mr. Weasley will lead this team. Hermione will also accompany them along with Mr. Malfoy. Any personal grievances will be set aside for this task. No matter what, bring him back. "

"Sir, what if Potter turns out to be the culprit? Is our leader really capable of taking necessary action?" Malfoy spoke for the first time with a smirk.

"What do you mean, you-" Ron began furiously but was interrupted by Kingsley.

"He's right."

"What? Minister, do you really believe that to be true?"

"Mr. Malfoy is right. Are you up to the task?"

"What task are referring to Minister?"

Kingsley took a deep breath.  
"I mean, if the need arises, will you be up to the task of incapacitating or even… eliminating Harry James Potter?"


	5. Outlaw

** Ch4: Outlaw **

Somewhere in the countryside, Present Day

Harry woke up with a start find himself in the dark. Still dazed from a nightmare involving Dementors and the hollow laughter of Voldemort turning his insides to lead; his initial thought was of bring in a dungeon until a sudden jerk caused him to bump his head against the roof with a dull thump. He was in the process of clutching his head while swearing at the roof when someone slid a curtain in front of him. Harry was momentarily blinded by the sudden exposure to light. Through the blinding flash, he heard a loud, heavily accented voice;

"You all right there kid?"

As he regained his vision, Harry looked at the speaker. Peeping in with a concerned look was a huge face. It was about half a foot long and easily as wide as Harry's waist his small black eyes peered from under bushy eyebrows and his round meaty nose sat atop an even bushier moustache.  
Combined with messy brown hair and long brown beard all but covering his mouth gave the impression of a massive bear. Still a little shaken Harry merely nodded. A wide grin immediately spread on the giant face;

"Good for you. Now crawl outta there, it's a lovely day."  
Saying these words, the face disappeared behind the curtains once more.

Harry was reluctant about being in the company of a giant stranger but realized his head was swarming with questions he need answered, so he chose to comply. He found himself in a mundane horse-drawn cart. Just as he had imagined, his companion was a mountain of a man. His meat hook hands were clutching the reins and his potbelly wiggled with every movement.  
Harry felt sorry for the poor duo of horses forced to carry this man's weight and more. He shifted the reins to one hand and offered the other to Harry in greeting;

"Name's Hugh Dodd. Pleasure to meet you."

Harry took the gingerly shook the hand.  
"Harry Potter. Nice to meet you too. "

Satisfied; Hugh went back to driving the cart. Having been overwhelmed with the giant man sitting beside him; Harry had forgotten about the dull ache in his head from the bump earlier. Now that he was idle however, it returned, worse than before. Carefully massaging it, he turned to Hugh;

"Could you answer some of my questions if you don't mind? For starters, how did I get here?"

Hugh raised both his eyebrows as if he had just realized Harry had been unconscious.

"Oh sure. Let's see, found two shady looking rascals trying to put you in the trunk of a car. You were unconscious. So I stunned them and brought you with me. This is the first time you woke up since."

"Two days? I have been unconscious for TWO WHOLE DAYS?"  
Harry's surprise was evident in his voice.

The last thing he remembered was leaving his home because the voice in his head. His eyes widened.  
"My family? Where are they? Are they all right?"

Hugh thought for a bit and replied; "Yeah, I thought of trying to find your folks a while back but decided it would be worse for you, with the mess at Gringotts and the posters and all?"

If he had been surprised before, Harry was completely dumbfounded now

"Gringotts? Mess? Posters? What are you going on about?"

Hugh took a deep breath. His voice was serious when he spoke next;

"Suppose you don't know. A while before I found you, there was a blast at Gringotts. First of its kind in history. Killed lots of people and goblins.  
Word has it that some elf saw you enter the bank last and now all the goblins think you did it. The Ministry have sent them Aurors to find you so that they can hand you over to the goblins as a peace offering and reopen Gringotts.  
There are posters with your name all over Diagon Alley. Your people probably think you're either dead or a criminal. Can't blame them. If I hadn't seen those bastards carrying you way, I would've believed the Ministry too."

He turned to give a comforting look to Harry, who was shaking like a twig in a storm.

"Sorry to be the one to break the bad news but you are now a fugitive Mr. Potter."


	6. Friend

** Ch 5:Friend **

Somewhere in the countryside, Present Day

"So? Which Muggle sport is your favourite?" Hugh looked at Harry expectantly only to find a blank expression on his face.

Worried, he nudged Harry. The latter almost jumped in surprise and glanced up at him with wide eyes.

"Beg your pardon?"

"I asked you which Muggle sport you liked."

The expression on Harry's face somehow managed to convey disbelief and annoyance at the same time.

"I don't follow the Muggle world to that extent. Tell me yours." He said, trying to look interested.

"I already told you, but you were too busy spacing out." Hugh sounded like a child who Harry had refused to play with.

"Forgive me for missing out on a heated discussion on Muggle sport to focus on trivial matters like I don't know, being a wanted criminal."

Hugh looked a little put-off but wasn't going to give in yet.

"Yeah, whining will make everything all right. I have been trying hard to lighten up the mood for a while now. It wouldn't hurt to be a good sport you know."

"A good sport? I wake up on a cart with a stranger after being unconscious for two days during which I have somehow managed to blow up Gringotts. Aurors; people I should be leading, are hunting me, I have no idea whether my family and friends are all right and no way of contacting them without risking my life.  
Oh, and the last thing I remember is hearing Voldemort in my head, still have no clue about that. Heck, I am not even sure if this is a nightmare and you want me to be a good sport? You cannot possibly be a bigger threat to my sanity right now." Harry snapped.

There was silence for a few minutes broken only by Harry's heavy breathing. Until Hugh spoke again;

"So, I hear you own a hippogriff. Is he cute?"

Harry paused abruptly and then glared up at the big man. Then he sighed and stood up.

"I stand corrected. Now excuse me, I am going back inside before I actually burst into flames."

Saying these words, he disappeared behind the curtains.

§§§

Sensing the cart coming to a halt, Harry stepped out to find that night had fallen. They were in an isolated area. Hugh was leaning against a lone tree with his back against him. Harry was just considering going up to him and apologizing for his behavior; the man had saved his life after all, when the latter spoke;

"Don't bother being sorry. I don't know what I would have done in your place. But, you're not the only one with problems, kid." His tone was serious, almost painful.

Harry suddenly felt a wave of guilt overwhelm him. He had been so occupied by his own troubles that he hadn't even bothered asking Hugh why he was driving around the countryside in a horse-cart. Mentally kicking himself; Harry approached him so that they were shoulder-to-head and placed his hand on the big man's shoulder.

"I'm sorry; I really shouldn't have behaved the way I did. I hope you forgive me. So, I have a question. You said you stunned the people trying to carry me off. That means you are a wizard, right? Also, you have a strange accent, where are you from and why are you driving around a cart when you can just Apparate?"

Hugh's shoulder slacked down a bit. A wide grin replaced his scowl almost instantly.

"It's a long story. I will tell you on the way. For now, all you need to know is that I am an Auror from the USA. I am looking for a certain man who is supposedly dead. The other Aurors don't believe me but I found clues that he is still alive. Those clues lead me here. Now, a trained Auror travelling between countries without permission is kinda illegal. Hence the peasant costume and the stupid cart."

Looking down at Harry; who looked confused, surprised and awed at the same time, he laughed.

Feeling the tension dissipate Harry let a grin form on his lips too.

"Listen, sometimes the odds just look like they are too much and that nothing will ever be the same again. But, the man I am looking for; my teacher, he used to taught me to be happy at all times because a smile is a powerful thing. You fake it long enough and genuinely believe that things will be better and everything falls right into place.  
Even though you are away from all your people right now, at least you are not alone. You have a friend with you, so be thankful.  
For now, I can't promise you anything but my gut tells me I will find my answers along with yours. So, let's try to get to the root of all this together. Who knows, you might become as renowned as me someday."  
The grin on Harry's face got a little wider for he really did feel grateful right now.


End file.
